The present invention relates to a lens barrel, in which a flexible printed circuit board is provided, and more precisely to a lens barrel in which an FPC (Flexible Print Circuit) is provided, wherein the lens barrel is structured in the manner that a fixed barrel, a moving barrel and a lens frame are mutually engaged with each other.
In many cases, it is necessary to electrically connect the lens barrel to a camera body, accompanied with automation of the camera. For example, this is necessary for an electronic shutter driving circuit, a focal point adjustment circuit for AF, a focal distance switching driving circuit, and the like. In these cases, since the lens barrel moves in the direction of the optical axis, a flexible printed circuit board, that is, FPC is used so that electrical parts of a moving lens barrel side are connected with electrical parts of a fixed main body side.
As an example of the foregoing, there has been disclosed Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 36154/1992, in which: an FPC 101 as shown in FIG. 4 is used; the FPC 101 is connected to a fixed barrel at one end 101a of the FPC 101; the FPC 101 is bent back on itself at a bending portion 101b of the FPC 101; and the FPC 101 is connected to a moving barrel at the other end 101c of the FPC 101. Accordingly, when the moving barrel moves in the direction of the optical axis, the position of the bending portion 101b also moves.